Easter recess was a great opportunity to get stuck into the constituency and the railway. For the latter, I found myself in Yorkshire, Derbyshire, the Cotswolds, Wales and Crowhurst. It’s always good to visit communities who have their own ambitions for city or town rejuvenation based around the remodelling of their station or want to improve their services and passenger experience.

In the constituency, I met some fabulous people who work hard for their community; be it volunteering, running a business, or taking a lead in local civic life. I’ll take one from each to demonstrate.

The team, mainly volunteers, who operate Bexhill Museum have done a superb job to run and expand the museum and as a result have increased visitor numbers year on year. It is a treasure trove of our local history. Thanks to £390k just received from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport for building works, a further £113k in match funding has been secured which will help transform the basement and open the museum up to more people and house more collections including a store & study area for an exciting collection of archaeological finds from the Bexhill-Hastings Link Road works, excavated in 2014.  Key to these plans is moving the public toilets out of the museum to free up space. Whilst work has started on the foundations for a new standalone Changing Places disabled toilet facility in Egerton Park next to the museum, there are currently not the funds to move the public toilets to this new facility too. As I was back in Parliament, I sought out the Levelling-up Minister to see if we could find funds to complete this job. It will not only deliver a fully accessible toilet facilities but will also unlock the £113k match funding investment in the museum.

Running a business has been tough in recent years. Crowhurst Holiday Park is a good example of how the hard work from an owner and dedicated workforce can see a business through the toughest of experiences of the pandemic. This business was first set up when the parents of the current owner, Colin Simmons, moved to the area to farm in the 1940s. Spotting the potential for caravanning holiday-makers, they started to diversify. Seventy years later, the park is open to both park-home residents and non-residents to enjoy the stunning scenery and facilities. It was great to spend time with Colin and his team to see how they are continuing to expand. Well worth a visit.

I also spent a fair bit of time with our local civic leaders. One example of their good work was to be found at Crowhurst station. The Parish Council would like to provide more affordable housing and have identified a site adjacent to the railway for their plan. This scrubland is owned by Network Rail. It could be an ideal place for someone to start their journey on the property ladder and continue their journey using the railway. To unblock matters, I am talking to Network Rail to see if they can get behind the project. Inside Government, I have housing targets to deliver from land owned, but not used, by the railway. It would be great to deliver some of these numbers in the constituency on land which would be enhanced by housing.

I am looking forward to more opportunities and ideas to work with our local town and parish Councillors when we meet for my Parish Conference at Great Dixter this weekend.

Back in Parliament, and with the exception of the latest round of Rwanda votes, the most notable item of business was the Government proposal to restrict the sales of cigarettes in the UK. Under the proposed law, anyone born in or after 2009 will never be able to buy cigarettes, leading to an effective ban. There are also restrictions on vapes. Whilst the aim is laudable, I have always been of the view that Government and Parliament should regulate, educate and tax but to bring in a law which stops one adult doing what another one is free to do, goes against my views on equality. I recognise that it is a difficult argument to advance when considering the harm cigarettes do. However, I always tend to the view that MPs should seek to uphold freedoms where we can. Unusually, this was a free vote meaning Conservative MPs and Ministers were able to choose how or if to vote. As a member of the Government, but with such misgivings with the principle, I did not register a vote. The vote was passed so the legislation continues its path. I recognise that this is an issue which provokes strong views on either side. I have always tried to explain how I have arrived at decisions. I accept and embrace that in a democracy, the voting public may take a different view and make their own vote accordingly.